Some airports, such as London City in the UK, have steep approaches that require specialized approval. For example, to gain steep approach certification into London City, which is located close to a series of skyscrapers in the heart of London’s business district, aircraft must be capable of performing an approach of up to 7.5 degrees.
The current generation Embraer E170 and E190 are approved for London City operations, but the E170 has been dropped from the second generation of E-Jets. This means that only one E2 is slated for steep-approach compliance. Speaking at the Paris Air Show, Embraer COO Luís Carlos Affonso said: “As of now, it will apply to the E190-E2 only.”
Embraer believes the certification will be a fairly simple process. “We will have to re-qualify the airplane [E190-E2] for steep approaches. Because of the new wings, it flies differently, but we have developed the process to do [the steep approach] by using our fly-by-wire system and deploying the spoilers on the approach. We believe it will be a straightforward process, but we will have to redo the campaign,” Affonso said.
The Brazilian aircraft manufacturer launched the three-member E2 family in 2013, revamping three of its original four E-Jets to create the E175-E2, E190-E2 and E195-E2. The E190-E2 is expected to enter service in the first half of 2018, followed by the E195-E2 in 2019 and the E175-E2 in 2020.
Rival regional jet manufacturer Mitsubishi has previously said it is planning to gain steep approach clearance for both the MRJ70 and 90, although there may be a payload penalty on the larger variant.
(Victoria Moores - ATWOnline News)
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